Departmental Legal Services Unit
Natural Resources Canada
April 2010

7. OBSERVATIONS – INTERFACES WITH THE CLIENT

The NRCan LSU is consulted on files that could have a legal issue.

As stated in “Objectives and Risk Management,” the General Counsel and Executive Director is a member of the NRCan Departmental Management Committee and the NRCan Policy and Science Management Committee. As such, she gets copied on the Minister’s priorities and assesses these for potential requirements for legal services. She also participates semi-annually in joint planning processes with key client sectors to review their work plans and priorities, and to assess the urgency and time frames of potential requirements for legal support. The General Counsel and Executive Director stated that there had been no instances in the last two years when she learned of any issue about which the client should have consulted the LSU, but had not. Team leaders were also of the view that they were adequately consulted on files by client sectors.

It is our opinion that the NRCan LSU is adequately consulted on files that could have a legal issue.

NRCan is satisfied with the quality of the legal services provided by the LSU.

SPPM conducts a client feedback survey every three years. The survey solicits feedback on the responsiveness, timeliness, and usefulness of DLSU services. The 2007 survey of NRCan showed that, overall, client satisfaction with the delivery of services was either excellent (legislative and regulatory drafting services) or very positive (legal advisory and non-criminal litigation). The results of the survey indicated a high degree of satisfaction with service quality.

Client representatives interviewed as part of this audit stated that they were satisfied with all aspects of the LSU’s service delivery, and that they have good relationships with the LSU’s lawyers.

It is the audit team’s opinion that the NRCan LSU’s services to the client are satisfactory.